“He barked a rough, uncomfortable chuckle. “Open it before you give me that look. It could be a terrible gift.” I obliged, and all I could do was sit there and blink at what was revealed, utterly stunned. Inside the box was a golden necklace in a bed of black silk. The back of it was an elegant thread of gold, which then widened into a beautiful, tangled mass of glimmering butterflies. Their wings were so perfectly crafted I could have sworn they quivered— the metal so delicate that it seemed like light refracted through it. Glinting vines and thorns and familiar blossoms twined between them, weaving them into a wild landscape. On closer inspection, I saw that there was one snake nestled in between it all, small and unassuming, curling off to one side.”